Saturday, February 23, 2013

New


Well, what's been going on around here for the past few days? Not a lot, really, or not much worth reporting. Cassie has adopted the above box as her favourite sleeping place. You wouldn't have thought it was particularly comfy but seemingly it is.


There's been a bit of this sort of thing. Gratifyingly, Grandson is now very keen indeed on books and is pretty chatty, though still in single words apart from such observations as "Hello, teddy".

Now then. When Thimbleanna and Sweetiepie came to visit last August, they very kindly brought with them a cutting board, a rotary cutter and some lovely material. Thimbleanna is a craft genius and when she chose Christmassy material, I'm sure she had in mind that I would do something with it by - well - Christmas. That gave me four months, during which she could have made fifteen quilts, nine pairs of socks and a thousand cupcakes, soldered lots of things together and built a wall. I am made of feebler stuff, however, and have been feeling somewhat wobbly for a while as a result of various life events. I haven't really made the wobbles better by trying to distract myself with piano lessons, a more ambitious choir and Zumba, all of which are enjoyable in their ways but a touch stressful. (Actually, the Zumba is fine. I don't mind being somewhat rubbish at that.)

Anyway, the other day I got her lovely material out, admired it very much and started fiddling about with it. First of all I did this with it (you do realise that no actual sewing was involved here - simply arranging on the floor). (I soon worked out that the floor isn't the ideal work surface.)


But I decided that this was a bit too much colour and pattern together.

 
So I tried this instead, which I like better, though I can see some changes that I might make in the specific arrangement.
 

These are the other materials she brought.

 
They're also very pretty but - one thing at a time. Not that I'm even doing one thing yet. I'm still thinking, which is more restful, if less satisfying, than leaping into action.
 
This was a few days ago.
 
Then yesterday...


 ... I went to a quilt show. Which I enjoyed a lot. It was very busy - I hadn't realised that Edinburgh was such a hotbed of quiltmakers (or at least admirers).


But it did make me think...


... how on earth does anyone ever manage to make anything as beautiful and intricate as that? This one, of coneflowers (are they?) in a meadow was probably my favourite. I love the impression of light and the shapes and the colours. But it was a teeny bit discouraging. I imagine myself stitching things together in little squares, which even though very simple will probably tax my sewing machine skills to the utmost.

But still - Volume 2 is due on Monday. We're all looking forward to meeting her then or not too long thereafter. That'll be fun. Currently we're at the stage of jumping every time the phone rings. I wonder what Grandson will make of her?

13 comments:

  1. Quite appropriately at this time, Isabelle, baby steps, baby steps! Those beautiful quilts were made by quilty peeps (as Miss T would say) with LOTS of experience! You can do it, but maybe wait until after the arrival of V.2?

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  2. Be still my heart! A quilting post from Isabelle...Well done on getting the fabrics out and doing a bit of cutting! As Gillie said "Baby steps..." I didn't have a clue when I started and now there's no holding me back. I thought you were going to say the quilts at the quilt show gave you the idea to put your squares on point. I like the squares with plain white between......More please!

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  3. I agree with Gillie....

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  4. It sounds like you have reached the stage where you wonder how on earth you had time to work!

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  5. What lovely quilts at the exhibition, thank you for sharing! I'm sure Grandson will be curious and puzzled by his baby sister.

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  6. I have a pile of cut squares sitting on my work table that have been there since November - life keeps getting in the way. I do rather better with knitting as I can pick it up and put it down and watch TV etc. Sewing requires dedicated time and everyone else to leave me alone!

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  7. I can't imagine why you don't like the squares-pattern you arranged at the beginning... I think it's lovely! I've always wondered what a quilt like that would look like with a crocheted border. If the quilt was large enough to hang over the sides of the bed, it might be quite pretty.

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  8. Came by for another look to see how others reacted to a quilting post----at long last from Isabelle---Where's the essay I left here last night??

    Briefly --- I blathered on about you're finally making a start! Gillie is right---one step at a time, one stitch at a time----you can do it!

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  9. .....Where's Anna? Still sleeping when such exciting events are going down?

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  10. I found your essay in my Spam folder, Molly! I apologise on its behalf. "Put your squares on point" -and that means...?

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  11. On point=Positioning your squares so it looks like they're balancing on one corner, like the squares with the blue flowers inside then in one of your quilt show quilts.

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  12. You're so funny -- you say not a lot has been going on and then you proceed to tell us about a lot of fun things going on. Yipee! You've managed to get the fabrics out! Your Christmassy layout looks great. If you find you're short of those squares, I have another set that I could pop into the mail for you. ;-D Also, I love that you've picked out beautiful BLUE quilts from the quilt show!

    This should be the BIG week! Can't wait to see the new little Miss. And especially, the new little miss with her big brother.

    Oh, and do you remember that cute animated video about the paper planes that DD2 told you about and then you passed on to us? It won an Oscar last night!

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  13. That show is coming to Duxford in a couple of weeks so I plan on going along. The show used to be in the beautiful old barns at Chilford Hall but a couple of vandals set a fire that destroyed the barns last year, so now it's at the Imperial War Museum. I love seeing the quilts but, like you, I do come away feeling somewhat inadequate! That doesn't stop me buying more fabric though! I'm so jealous of the range and prices of fabric available in the USA - we don't have anything like it here.
    Any baby news yet? I bet you jump every time the phone goes :)

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